Electronic gas pedal indicators are utilized for the purposes of determining a torque required by the driver. In contrast to mechanical gas pedals, which are connected direct to the throttle valve via a Bowden cable in the case of gasoline-operated combustion engines for example, electronic gas pedal indicators just emit an electrical signal which expresses the torque requirement of the driver. A torque structure contains the information from the electronic gas pedal indicator, from an idling regulator, and various other consumer units located in the motor vehicle. The required torque is calculated from this collected information. This calculated torque is set with the aid of the various actuators of the combustion engine (e.g. electrically operated throttle valve). Due to the electronic acceleration system, there is no direct connection between the driver and the combustion engine. As will be explained in detail later, there is a possibility of pedal play being present at low speeds, in particular around the idling speed. By this is meant that a driver of a combustion engine moves the electronic gas pedal over a certain range without obtaining a response from the combustion engine. This occurs chiefly when the combustion engine is in the idling condition. The idling regulator of the combustion engine demands a minimum torque of approx. 40 Nm for example, to keep the combustion engine in a stabile operating state at the lowest possible speed. If the pedal indicator of the electronic acceleration system is located at its initial position—that is to say 0%, the driver does not require any torque from the combustion engine. If the driver moves the pedal indicator, the combustion engine does not respond until the torque set by the driver lies above the torque required by the idling regulator. To this effect, the driver has to deflect the pedal indicator by approx. 6% from an initial position, i.e. the driver feels no response from the combustion engine between 0% and 6% of the pedal position.